The Sacramento Kings' scoring drought continued, but the Los Angeles Clippers' offense never stopped.
Kai Chen's unstoppable scoring ability made Sacramento Kings head coach Dave Joerger shake his head repeatedly.
It wasn't that he didn't want to stop Kai Chen from scoring; it was that he truly couldn't.
Three-pointers, mid-range shots, dunks, and passes after completing breakthroughs all made the Kings miserable.
The entire Clippers offense, initiated by Kai Chen, flowed smoothly, igniting the Clippers fans on the sidelines.
On the other hand, Sacramento's highly touted rookie Marvin Bagley was completely shut down by Kai Chen and Jeff Green.
The team could only rely on De'Aaron Fox's individual ability to relieve the scoring pressure.
The stark contrast between the two teams was also reflected in the score.
After the first quarter, the home team Clippers had scored a whopping 44 points.
Their 44-point first quarter also broke the team's historical record for points in a single quarter.
The offensive firepower of the new Clippers was evident.
In addition, they showed terrifying dominance on the defensive end.
They allowed the Kings only 14 points in the quarter.
The lopsided 44:14 score left the commentators somewhat speechless.
"All the fans were looking forward to the matchup between Sacramento Kings' second overall pick Marvin Bagley and Clippers' third overall pick Kai Chen."
"But from the results of the first quarter, today's situation is clearly one-sided."
"Not only did the Clippers completely dominate the Kings, but even comparing Kai Chen and Marvin Bagley individually, the gap is obvious."
"That's right. Although both were instrumental in Duke University's championship run, the dominance Kai Chen has displayed is clearly stronger than Marvin Bagley's!"
Just as O'Neal and Smith had said.
With unlimited shooting freedom, Kai Chen played all 12 minutes of the first quarter, shooting 9-of-12 from the field and scoring 28 points.
Those 28 points were not only the highest single-quarter scoring performance by a rookie in a debut, but also the highest single-game scoring output so far among the 2018 draft class.
Before Kai Chen, the highest debut score in this class was only Deandre Ayton's 18 points.
That number was surpassed by Kai Chen in just one quarter.
Not only in scoring, Kai Chen also showed terrifying all-around talent, contributing 3 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals.
A line of 28 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 0 turnovers in one quarter was perfect.
Compared to Kai Chen's explosion, Marvin Bagley looked disappointing.
In 8 minutes of play, he shot 1-of-7 from the field, scoring only 2 points.
His stat line of 2 points, 2 rebounds, 0 assists, and 3 turnovers left him sitting on the bench with a towel over his face, speechless.
"Marvin, lift your head. This is just a regular season game."
Seeing the future core in such a state, Kings head coach Dave Joerger quickly offered comfort.
Losing wasn't important, but if Bagley's confidence collapsed because of this game, that would be the real problem.
The quarter break ended quickly, and both teams sent out their bench units to start the second quarter.
The Kings' rotation was weak, while the Clippers' bench was deep.
Led by last season's Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams, they firmly controlled the game's rhythm.
By the middle of the second quarter, when both starting lineups returned, the point difference had already reached a terrifying 35 points.
The game had completely lost its suspense, and Kai Chen didn't deliberately chase stats.
At halftime, with 33 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists, Kai Chen headed to the locker room with his teammates.
The home Clippers fans were chatting happily.
Some even said the game had become boring.
"Are we too strong, or are the Kings too weak!?"
"Haha, it looks like we really profited from trading Griffin for Kai Chen!"
"Who's our next opponent!?"
"The Los Angeles Lakers!"
The massive lead allowed fans to start discussing the next game.
As city rivals, the Lakers had significantly improved after signing LeBron James and were now a clear Western Conference contender.
The matchup with the Lakers would be a true test of Kai Chen against a strong opponent.
Of course, Kai Chen, listening to Coach Rivers' halftime adjustments in the locker room, knew nothing about these discussions.
Soon, the second half began.
Facing the huge deficit, the Kings' struggles continued.
Not long after the third quarter started, Dave Joerger waved his hand, subbed out all the starters, and effectively conceded the game.
"Rivers has taken Kai Chen out. The third overall pick gets to clock out early in his first professional game."
Smith smiled at the commentary table. "For Kai Chen, this game's intensity might have been even lower than in college."
"He decided the game in just one quarter!"
The final buzzer sounded, and Kai Chen's debut stat line was set: 38 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block.
In an era where triple-doubles are common, these numbers might not look outrageous, but this was only Kai Chen's career debut.
"The only regret tonight is that Kai Chen didn't play longer," Smith added.
"This year's third overall pick only played 24 minutes!"
"That's right. If Kai Chen had played over 30 minutes, I can't imagine how terrifying his stats would be!"
O'Neal sighed. "Unfortunately, the Clippers were simply too dominant."
Both the Clippers' starters and bench put up strong numbers in the season opener.
Especially Carmelo Anthony, who scored 28 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists on 10-of-15 shooting in 24 minutes.
He also added 3 steals and 2 blocks, completely silencing the media and fans who had underestimated him last season.
Although Beverley's stats weren't flashy, he displayed his "mad dog" style on both ends.
Off the bench, Lou Williams had 16 points and 6 assists, Montrezl Harrell posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and 13th overall pick Grayson Allen added 12 points.
Finally, the red lights lit up on both baskets.
The home team Los Angeles Clippers defeated their opponents 118:90, winning by 28 points and securing their first victory of the season.
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